2. WEATHERING:
breakup of rock due to exposure to processes that occur at or near Earth’s surface
TWO TYPES:
Mechanical (physically)
Chemical (chemically)

3. Ice Wedging

4. MECHANICAL WEATHERING:
Ice Wedging: ice freezes and expands w/in cracks and breaks apart rock
Abrasion: scraping
Exfoliation: peeling of surface layers
Root Wedging: roots push apart cracks in rocks

5. Abrasion

6. Exfoliation

8. Weathering by Living Things (Biomechanical/Physical)

9. CHEMICAL WEATHERING Hydrolysis: chemical reaction of rock with water
Oxidation: exposure of rock to oxygen causes chemical reactions
Root Leaching: plants use minerals in rock as nutrients which cracks rocks
Carbonic Acid: acid rain (water + CO2)

10. Karst Topography- Caves!

12. Oxidation
Oxidation of Desert Landscape

13. Root Leaching

14. Acid Rain- corrodes marble & limestone!

15. Karst Topography
Chemical weathering of limestone & dolomite bedrock due to acid rain (hydrolysis)
Lots of salt and gypsum minerals- highly soluble in water
Forms caves and different landforms

16. Karst Landforms

17. Rates of Weathering Depend on…
Surface area exposure- the more surface area exposed, the faster the rate of weathering
Composition of rock- some minerals are weathered easier than others
Climates
Warm, wet climates are conducive to BOTH chemical and mechanical
Cold, dry climates mechanical weathering plays a greater role than chemical- ice, wind, snow/glacier movement

18. EROSION:
transportation and movement of weathered sediments
AGENTS:
wind 4. gravity
water 5. volcanoes
glaciers

19. Wind

20. Water

21. Ice

22. Gravity

23. Volcanic Eruption

24. MASS WASTING

25. Talus – rock fragments that have been weathered from a cliff and pulled down by gravity

26. Types of Mass Wasting
landslide
mudslides & mudflows
creep
slump

28. Creep

29. Slump

30. Mudflow

31. Earth flow Landslide NatGeo Man Catches Landslide on Tape
Landslide in CA